Tim Redigolo

Volvo has begun training staff members at its new £6million Daventry facility where, in 2020, it intends to accommodate hundreds of apprentices as part of an ongoing recruitment drive.

The building on Prospect Way will officially open its doors when the final construction work finishes in early October, but it has been used for training since mid-August, a year after the multi-million investment was announced.

More than 200 employees have been in training at the state-of-the-art facility whose features include an auditorium, a car workshop – equipped with 16 vehicle bays – and classroom spaces which all feature remote video and web-based technologies that will also support off-site, online training.

David Baddeley, operations director, Volvo Car UK, said: “Volvo’s rapidly developing new car technology, engineering and design gave rise to a need for change in our training environment to ensure our employees have access to the most advanced facility possible.

“We have tackled this head on with the investment in Daventry, and the feedback so far has been overwhelmingly positive.”

The Swedish company said it aims to increase its technical workforce by almost 50 per cent in three years, and the facility will train apprentices looking to begin their careers in manufacturing.